Blog | The HALO Effect

Inspired by the TeenNick HALO Awards, the HALO Effect is a way for visitors to TeenNick.com to help others. Complete "Quests" on this site, and you'll earn points that you can trade in for a donation to DonorsChoose.org.

DonorsChoose.org is a site where school teachers from all over the United States post requests for supplies they need (like scientific equipment, journals for a writing class, or musical instruments for the school band). If you earn enough HALO Effect coins, you'll be able to make a $5 donation to any project you choose.

It's an awesome way to support education, and it's easy, too. All you have to do is use this site! Check out the blue bar at the top of this page to get started.

The 2011 TeenNick HALO Awards honorees, about to walk the orange carpet -- and all the way on the right, behind Kyle's shoulder, that's Charlotte Arnold from Degrassi! :)

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Inspiration to Help and Lead Others can come from many places. Maybe you witnessed a random act of kindness on the street and decide to pay it forward, or maybe you're inspired by the story of another teen just like you, or maybe, like many of us, your celebrity heroes use their global presence to open your eyes to important causes and issues. When they're not singing, dancing, acting or making us laugh, here are 10 celebs who spread the HALO Effect all the time.

TAYLOR SWIFT

Our girl Taylor is involved in several charities and causes, including public education funding for art and music, children's literacy and natural disaster relief. She donated the proceeds from her 1989 hit single "Welcome to New York" to NYC public schools and in 2012, funded the building of a new education center at the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville. She makes frequent visits to children's hospitals to play her songs for fans and even wrote and performed a song called "Ronan" in memory of a four-year-old boy who died of neuroblastoma in 2012. We're barely scraping the surface of all the good Taylor does, so it's no wonder she was recognized as the most charitable celebrity of 2014 by the Do Something Awards!

Emma Watson became a HALO hero last year when she launched the United Nations #HeForShe campaign during an address at UN Headquarters. Her kick-butt campaign promotes feminism and calls for both men and women to fight together, in solidarity, for gender equality. As a UN Women Goodwill Ambassador, Emma has become a global spokesperson for feminism today. She has inspired women and men alike to not only gain a deeper understanding of what feminism is, but also to promote it fearlessly and wholeheartedly.

Queen Bey's philanthropic initiative #BeyGOOD is a campaign that supports several causes. The movement has helped put people back to work, helped restock clothing donation centers, provided counseling, housing, food, and medical assistance to homeless, promoted Autism awareness and impacted global empowerment of women and girls. NBeyD. She is #Flawless.

In 2013, Justin became the first recording artist ever to grant 200 wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation to children with life-threatening medical conditions. He is also a big supporter of Pencils of Promise, an organization that helps build quality schools and develop sustainable education programs for children all over the world.

At the end of last year, funnyman Chris Pratt gave a touching speech at the March of Dimes Celebration of Babies event. While honoring the organization which funds research to help solve premature birth, birth defects and infant mortality, he spoke about his own son, Jack, who was born prematurely.

We love Mindy Kaling for many reasons, one of them being her involvement with Rosie's Theater Kids. The non-profit, which was started by actress Rosie O'Donnell, promotes performance and arts education. In 2014, Mindy auctioned off a The Mindy Project script to raise money for the organization.

Demi is an advocate for several causes, but most recently and notably she has been vocal about LGBTQ rights as well as mental health and body positivity. The songstress is a spokesperson for NYC Pride Week, the face of the Americans for Marriage Equality campaign, and in 2014, embarked on a Mental Health Listening & Engagement Tour, in which she talked about her personal experiences with bipolar and eating disorders.

YouTube sensation Tyler Oakley is a long-time supporter of The Trevor Project, a non-profit organization that focuses on providing crisis and suicide prevention for the LGBTQ youth community. By mobilizing fans and supporters to chip in and donate, Tyler raised over half a million dollars for The Trevor Project. Tyler, you are a shining light and joy to us all.

For some time now, Miley has been an advocate for homeless youth. She is a supporter of My Friend's Place, an organization that helps homeless youth build self-sustainable lives, and even used her VMA speech for Video of the Year to promote the program. Most recently, Miley launched The Happy Hippie Foundation, which helps confront injustices faced by homeless, LGBTQ and other vulnerable youth communities.

The boys tend to bring joy to the world with their sweet songs and even sweeter smiles, but they're also heavily involved in a few very important causes. Not only are they ambassadors to Rays of Sunshine, but in 2014, the band donated �600,000 to Stand Up to Cancer by giving portions of their ticket sales revenue from the "Where We Are" tour. In 2013, they raised over �2 million for Red Nose Day (a campaign launched by Comic Relief, which incorporates humor to help people living difficult and impoverished lives) thanks to their single "One Way or Another (Teenage Kicks)."

As if these celebs don't inspire us already, their dedication to Helping and Leading Others makes us love them even more. We challenge YOU to learn more about one of the organizations above and share which one you've chosen in the comments!